On the Road to the Fifth Venice Conference on the Global Governance of Climate Change and Sustainability

THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CONFERENCE

The global climate agenda is at a critical turning point. Three decades after the first COP, recent negotiations during the COP30 in Bélem have exposed growing political deadlock, weakening engagement from key global actors, and declining visibility from major corporations and media.

Yet, paradoxically, while political momentum slows, technological progress is accelerating, especially across the "Global South", where innovation is rapidly reshaping the path away from fossil fuels. At the same time, while Western governments are growing sceptical, firms are becoming even more convinced that sustainability is a competitive advantage.

It is clear that climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is a lived reality. Rising temperatures, already exceeding the 1.5°C threshold globally and significantly higher in parts of Europe, signal that mitigation alone is no longer sufficient. Adaptation and resilience must now become central pillars of the agenda.

The urgency is compounded by the risk of climate tipping points (irreversible thresholds that could trigger self-reinforcing environmental collapse). From the Amazon to polar ice sheets, these systemic risks are interconnected and increasingly imminent.

This evolving landscape demands a shift in mindset. The real divide is no longer between believers and skeptics, but between innovators and defenders of an unsustainable status quo. Climate action must move beyond moral narratives toward scalable solutions, economic opportunity, and systemic redesign.

This is the framework of the Fifth Edition of the Venice (former Dolomite) Conference on the Global Governance of Climate Change and Sustainability. This will take place on October 15–17, 2026, at the iconic Isola di San Servolo. The choice of Venice is no coincidence. As a city on the frontline of climate change, it represents both the urgency of the challenge and the need for innovative, global solutions. Venice stands as the "global capital" where climate change strategies are drafted, considering the political, managerial, communication, and intellectual challenges of the 21st century .

Amongst the proposals from the past editions, there are:

1. A frame that will make the “loss and damage” facility more politically acceptable and, thus, more likely to reach the “places” that have already suffered or are about to suffer from climate change
2. A toolkit to simplify and make more effective the methods through which the COPs and the UN are establishing the goals (and the targets) that countries negotiate
3. Three ideas on how to kick-start a pragmatic debate on how to reform COP (which is something that many consider as impossible as the old chimera to reform the UN)
4. A simulation of the impact of the decision taken at COPs
5. A proposal to promote a market of independent evaluators of the sustainability of companies, paid directly by consumers/ investors/ citizens

THE AGENDA

The Venice Conference unfolds over three days:

Day I – Thursday, 15 October

Three Problem-Solving Groups (PSSGs) will explore and present solutions to fundamental trade-offs at the heart of transforming systems:

1. Advanced urban mobility systems and the frontier of low altitude economy

2. Rebuilding Venice

3. Waste management

Each group will begin its work in advance through dedicated preparatory webinars.

Day II – Friday, 16 October

Businesses, enterprises, think tanks and policymakers from all around the world will debate several key issues in the field of sustainability, among which:

• The sustainable insurance

• The energy problem of AI

• The future of automotive

• The paradox of agrifood

• The decarbonisation of trade routes

• The sustainable investment instruments

• The new energy ecosystem in the Global South

• The perspectives for nuclear energy

Moreover, three other PSSGs will explore and present solutions to fundamental trade-offs related to global climate governance:

1. Reforming COP

2. Managing geo-engineering

3. Developing renewables in Africa

Day III – Saturday, 17 October

The draft of the Venice Manifesto will be discussed, finalised, and presented to the media. Follow-up thematic events will take place in the months thereafter to sustain momentum and implementation.

The Conference is designed not as a one-off event, but as a catalyst for long-term platform for problem-solving.

THE PARTNERS

Vision convenes the 7th Edition of the Siena Conference thanks to several partnership with important national and international institutions and actors.

Among the scientific partners, there are important academic and research institutions, including Università Bocconi, Politecnico di Milano, and LUISS, as well as the Venice-based universities: Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia (IUAV), Venice International University (VIU), and Università Ca' Foscari.

The founding partner of the Dolomite Conference is AXA.

The Media partners are: The Conversation, the global media agency that acts as a link between the best universities and the general public, illuminem, the global platform focused on sustainability and business, GEDI, one of the major Italian media groups with La Repubblica and La Stampa, RAI, the national public broadcaster, which will convey some of the contents.

About 100 people will participate at the Conference. They come from all around the world.